Ramadan Sobhi – Who is he?

After almost a month of speculation and rumour, Egyptian whizkid Ramadan Sobhi finally signed for Stoke City, who held off a late bid from Fiorentina to sign the 19 year old for a fee that will rise to about £5million. Regarded as the top African prospect in the world, Sobhi has earned himself the nickname of “Ramadona” in comparison to football legend, Diego Maradonna. But why is he held in such regard? And what can we expect from him during his time in the Premier League? I take a look at him below.

Born in Cairo, Egypt 1997, Sobhi quickly rose through the ranks of the Al-Ahly youth squad, eventually making his debut at a tender age of 16 in the 13/14 Egyptian Premier League. In June 2014, Sobhi scored his first goal for the club and in July, struck a brace to help his team achieve another League title. Sobhi also helped Al-Ahly win the 2014 Egyptian Super Cup, which meant that he has already tasted success.

Sobhi’s profile was raised in the 14/15 season, where he attracted attention from teams all around the world, such as Arsenal, Roma, Sampdoria, Udinese and Red Bull Leipzig. He previously caught the eye of Atletico Madrid too, last season. It should be also noted that he made his debut for the Egyptian national team during this season, putting in a shift against Tanzania. He is the second youngest player to play for the national team at 17 years and 11 months. Currently, he has made 6 appearances for Eygpt, scoring 1 goal.

Sobhi played 28 games for Al-Ahly during the 15/16 season, led by Martin Jol in February 2016 as the manager, who replaced José Peseiro. His performances saw his team lift yet another league title, managing to score 5 goals over the course of the season.

Sobhi’s primary position is as left winger, however, he can be utilised as a right winger, attacking midfielder or sometimes as a striker if needed. His play style is bursts of pace, combined with silky dribbling and precise passing and vision to set up goals for his team, or hitting them himself, he has a good eye for a goal.

So, how will he do in the Premier League? From my own personal view, I feel like he will add a bit of raw, explosive pace to the Stoke side, able to challenge Arnautovic and Shaqiri for their first team spots. He is also a young talent too, so there is plenty of time to sharpen and refine his skills. He can also be operated at a attacking midfielder spot, something that will need to be covered due to the loss of Afellay last season. Overall, I think he will be an exciting signing for Stoke, quite a versatile player to be used in the attacking areas of the pitch, with a good shot on him and the ability to create opportunities for other teammates due to his passing prowess.